Online vs. Offline Degrees
Every person on the face of the earth has different capabilities and skills,
which is why a huge range of techniques is used in the classroom to try and
encourage people to learn. However, who is to say that the thinking behind
this theory cannot be applied to ways of learning as well as methods? In
fact, it has been applied to ways of learning with the invention of online
universities and colleges. Instead of forcing an individual to sit in class
every day and learn, any individual can now sit at home and learn however
he or she wants and whenever he or she wants. As far as personal choice is
concerned, online education wins hands down, but when you look at the benefits
and advantages of offline education you see that the contest between the
two is not quite as clear cut!
Many traditionalists will dismiss online degrees and college courses as a
waste of time because they only accept the dregs of society who could not
get into another educational program. There are published essays and articles
published to that effect. Indeed that is not the case. In fact, online education
leaves education open to those who could have gone if they were given the
opportunity. They are no more or less intelligent than individuals attending
a campus university, and there has actually been research to prove that online
universities could actually be better for an individual' health than those
individual students have to attend every day!
Drexel University studied online and offline students during the course of
their research and actually compared them. The results were extremely interesting
because individuals taking online degrees actually appeared to be far happier
than those attending on campus degree courses. In fact, the lifestyles of
the two sets of people were very different and suggested that an online degree
is better for the mental well being of students. The workload is roughly
the same, but online students did not appear to stretch themselves too far,
leaving equal time for all of their commitments and juggling well. On the
other hand, campus students were finding it difficult to cope with the demands
of going to university. The tutors may be there to remind students of deadlines,
but it was discovered that they were putting too much pressure on the individual
student and actually dictating priorities in some cases instead of giving
an individual the chance to determine his or her own priorities.
Drexel found that there was more enjoyment in taking an online degree than
a campus one and, as a result, individuals were learning more, stressing
less and generally enjoying themselves rather than panicking themselves into
a frenzy! Offline students rarely change their lifestyle to accommodate the
educational addition, whereas campus students alter their priorities and
lifestyle completely in order to allow their degree to take over their lives.
That is not to say though that campus degrees do not have their advantages
over online degrees because they do. Firstly, the full college experience
is not always readily available if you complete a degree online. It can be
a nightmare trying to fit your degree into your life, let alone visit the
college itself, and if it operates solely online then you cannot attend in
person anyway. The experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity. However,
if there are other things going on in your life then it may be an expendable
one. The one problem that this may cause online students is in terms of
assignment help. It may not be possible for individuals to communicate with
one another to offer or ask for help when necessary. In fact, an offline
student would be dependent on a forum or other type of communication network
in which others may not respond. If that were the case, then it would be
up to the individual student to try and find the answers themselves! That
is not to say that one is better than the other, but going back to the first
paragraph, one will suit you more than the other!
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